After our short trip to Penang we flew last Thursday to Singpore, where we finally received Ilinca’s missing backpack after nine days. As we previously have been to Singapore already, we did not follow a tight sightseeing schedule, but spend some time relaxing and with our friend Chris.
Ilinca’s missing backpack arrived in Singapore
The main reason why we flew to Singapore so early on our trip was because we agreed with SWISS that they send Ilinca’s backpack that was found in Milano directly to Singapore instead of Kuala Lumpur because there is a direct flight.
When arriving in Singapore however, Ilinca received a SMS that her luggage is in Bangkok now (our original flight’s destination), so no backpack when we arrived in Singapore. It is really incredible how incapable some employees at Milano airport must be. Luckily, at Singapore’s and also Bangkok’s airport, the staff cares a bit more about their customers. The backpack went on the next flight from Bangkok to Singapore and has arrived five hours later in Singapore. Ilinca was very happy to finally be in possession of all her belongings again.
Staying in Singapore
Our friend Chris invited us to stay in his apartment, a nice condo in a complex of around 30 buildings. When we arrived, we were really stunned: the whole complex looked like a Bali resort, with dozens of smaller to larger swimming pools around and between the buildings. One of the pools was actually a 50m pool, so good for some sport swimming. Ilinca and I could not resist and take advantage of those pools.
Eating in Singapore
Instead of checking TripAdivsor for restaurants, Chris recommended us some excellent and cheap local eating possibilities. One evening we had tasty food in Chinatown, another evening in a small and hidden Thai restaurant. For the other meals, Ilinca and I explored several small cafés. I let the pictures speak for themselves.
After Work Party in Rooftop Bar
Singapore can be very expensive. We discovered that yesterday evening when joining Chris for an after work party in a fancy rooftop bar in downtown Singapore. Half a liter of beer cost incredible SGD 17, which corresponds to CHF 12. And as we stayed there the whole evening, we spend way more than CHFF 100 just for drinks and some simple snacks. It was a nice experience being on such a rooftop bar in tropical temperatures and wonderful weather, but definitely not something I would do every week.
Sightseeing in Singapore
We could not resist to go at least a little bit sightseeing. Chris could also show us some nice places off the main tourist track. Today we went for a walk to the seaside at East Cost Park and to the Pinnacles @ Duxton, a complex of seven 50-story apartment buildings that are all connected via a sky bridge on the 26th and 50th floor. From the 50th floor, there was an excellent panorama. And best of all: we only paid SGD 6 (= CHF 4.25) admission, a fraction of what you pay at the famous tourist observation deck at Marina Bay.
Cat Café in Singapore
Singapore is a crazy city. When walking around yesterday, we discovered that there is a cat café, which is basically a café where there are several cats roaming around and waiting to be fed. The human guests at the same time pay entrance fee that includes the consumption of drinks and cakes. Being cat lovers both of us and because we miss our cat Ranja, we decided to go in there. It was cute being among all those cats. How much the cats enjoy that kind of business we don’t know, but some of them seemed completely uninterested in us humans and did not even show up for the feeding. Typical for cats…
Off to Borneo Tomorrow
As we now have finally have all the equipment for Borneo’s rainforest, we will continue tomorrow our planned trip to Borneo with a few days delay. Let’s hope this time everything goes fine with our luggage, but not flying through Milano makes me feel positive.